It is a book that is an autobiography of He Liyi and about his life in a village. The family of He Liyi is one China’s minorities i.e. the Bai. He belongs to a remote area of China province Yunnan. After reading it, I come to know that when Liyi’s wife sold pig to get a radio i.e. shortwave, Liyi spend every of his moment listening to BBC. Liyi’s motive was to improve his English skills that he had learned years back. By practicing his English, he made a decision and write in English about a story of his life experience. The autobiography written by him add each and every event of China’s current history. Although, he mentioned about his own experience by learning through labor camps as part of reeducation. Further, it is true that no other book reveals the clear fact as this book does about the life and struggle made by common person while being a village person under the ruling party of “China’s Tempestuous Communist Government.” This ruling governance has ironically symbolized in this book by He. Liyi as “Mr. China.” Further, as a reader I can fairly understand how Liyi’s has defined his life by facing poverty and hard times with a lack of bitterness and following more through humor. The life in the rural China is easily readable and understandable by reading He Liyi’s Mr. China Son.
However, Mr. China Son is referred to the He Liyi village life with ruling communist government. It has based on real story that is a story written by He Liyi based on his true life experience, and he has written it through the sounds of his heart. A puppet show known as “Mr. China Son” has based on Liyi’s life who is a Chinese English teacher and have seen numerous Cultural Revolution while growing up. Now, he is running a café at Dali with the brand name “Backpackers.” His story tells how other communities and cultures have an impact and effect on each other.
The story has explained using the modesty, sense of humor and simplicity. By reading the book, I analyze that I am present in China and have an inside of what is all that caters the Chinese Society. Moreover, I feel like a part of his family while reading Mr. China Son. Mr. Liyi is telling about three women who have prominent standing in his life. Through his story, we come to know the importance of human relationships from his shared experience and thoughts. Through his sharing of thoughts, we are able to understand his strong will power to face the political power and rivalry present in his country.
Moreover, his concept of living has identified through observation of his developed and nurtured relationships with his close family that has led him to make social relationships in order to survive and navigate the rivalry and political system existing in front of him. By reading, one can see the wisdom portrayed by him and other characters mentioned in this book. It is not relating to the formal education, but they have a great wisdom level that is existing in main characters mentioned in the “He Liyi’s: Mr. China Son.”
The story not only had the main characters that have showed up a great wisdom. But also by reading the “Mr. China Son” we are able to understand the history of China. As well as we are able to get an inside look of “Government and Politics” present in Chinese community regarding to the politics played in the remote province of China named as Yunnan.
However, book is not a work of an educationist who is writing an academic book, or even catering individuals that are portraying tribulations existing in the contemporary Chinese society publish in the “English Language” format. Further, most importantly mentioned character of Heng Liang’s son that has made 1983 revolution or 1992 Zhai Zhenhua labelled as “Red Flower of China” are the remarkable history era of China. Further, the author mentioned about Mr. China’s Son and shared his thoughts and expressions using the language skills and words power to provide inside of the daily life events occurring in China from the “Past to the Present” (Daltontours.nstemp.com).
Liyi’s hopes were around achieving a profession i.e. to become a professional teacher for the subject of English. The desire of becoming a teacher has made when he graduated in the year 1953 from one of a college present in Kunming. The story behind becoming an English teacher was the presence of frustration that has made by the political vicissitudes of China. They were the one behind the occurrence of poison weed as mentioned by the author of this book. This “weed of Poison” was present in the year 1957 for the “Anti-Righteous Campaign” (Daltontours.nstemp.com).
As, the character is a son of a nationalist officer in the department of law. This character has studied English. Moreover, many quotes in the book mentioned the Cultural Revolution existing in the turbulent years to bear with the hurdles and problems that have labelled in such years (Blindsummit.com).
1979 was the year only when the author decides to become an English Teacher. After leading a life and watching the life of rural areas of Yunnan while, struggling hard to strive his desires and dreams. Also, he had seen through experiencing life in the labor camp, where he seen buffaloes assigned as a barber, becoming a part of railroad construction team and constructor for government dam projects (Blindsummit.com).
While experiencing a life by being the son of a farmer living crafting furniture and with a sideline to spotlight his nights being stolen, he decided to become English teacher, after seeing politics everywhere through the sound of negativity (Blindsummit.com).
The book present the numerous and unknown history facts of China rural area Yunnan especially. Moreover, it brings an insight depth of the political revolution existed since the era when the author started his studying career and enter to the ruling Communist Government and hard facts about the minorities facing hardships in their professional and personal life by living in China (Blindsummit.com).
Work Cited
Notar, Beth E. 'Mr. China's Son: A Villager's Life. By He Liyi With Claire Anne Chik. Boulder, Colo.: Wesview Press, 1993. 271 Pp. $55.00 (Cloth); $16.95 (Paper).'. The Journal of Asian Studies 54.01 (1995): 194--195.
Li, Gertraude Roth. 'Mr. China's Son: A Villager's Life (Review)'. China Review International 1.2 (1994): 135--141.
Hufind.huji.ac.il,. 'Articles & More - " Yunnan Sheng (China) Social Life And'. N. p., 2014. Web. 30 Jun. 2014.
Blindsummit.com,. 'Blind Summit - Mr China's Son'. N. p., 2014. Web. 30 Jun. 2014.
Daltontours.nstemp.com,. 'China Hong Kong Embroidery Tour Overview'. N. p., 2014. Web. 30 Jun. 2014.
